Chp 4- Deliverance (4 Perspectives)

One has to wonder what happened between the life of Joseph and when the Egyptians decide that the Hebrews are a threat. In the reading it would seem that there is no reason for the Egyptians to believe that the Hebrews will turn against them. The Egyptians get paranoid over the number of Hebrews not over any real threat. The result is than the Hebrews are made into slaves, yet they grew to an even larger people group. They oppressed the Hebrews, worked them to death, and yet they could not stop the nation from growing.

No matter what the Egyptians did they could not stop the growth of God’s people, but the oppression of the Egyptians and the deliverance of God through Moses serves as a foreshadowing of God’s ultimate deliverance. Moses delivered the people out of the slavery to the Egyptians, but Jesus delivered all of mankind out of slavery to sin. This is one of the clearest examples of God giving us a glimpse into the upper story. Countless years before Jesus is born we see clearly what God is up to.

Perspective 2- Barb Miles

Moses – what a man, what responsibility. He was taken from his own family to be raised in the Egyptian culture by Pharaoh’s family. As a young man he saw the cruelty the Egyptians forced on his people. Why do you think God picked Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt? God chose a man who did not feel qualified – he believed he did not have the ability to be a speaker, an advocate. So God chose his brother Aaron to join him as a team. And just how many times did that “team” of brothers go to bat for their Israelite family’s freedom? Many more than I have ever done. Time and time again plagues were put upon Egypt, and the Pharaoh would go back on his word of releasing the Israelites. Talk about “going back on your word!” Do any of you, like me, hear your parents telling you to honor your promises?

Perspective 3- Dan Petrak

Perspective 4- Jade Miller

In Chapter 4 of The Story, a new Pharaoh, “to whom Joseph meant nothing, came into power in Egypt.” (Page 43). The people of Israel were thrown into slavery, and the story of Moses soon followed.

Moses grew up in the king’s palace after being plucked from the Nile River by the Pharaoh’s daughter. God was already planning Israel’s freedom, and eventually after the plagues the Israelites flee to the desert. They were pursued by Pharaoh’s army, who drowned in the Red Sea.

Confused and weary, the Israelites already began to question God. “So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?”… In the desert, the whole community grumbled to Moses and Aaron. “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.”” (Page 55)

I’ve done the same things as the Israelites- grumbled, got exasperated, and over all, just whined. This chapter showed me that God’s patience is great. Despite my whining, He provides my “daily bread”, and gives me more than what I need for the day.